Update 3/30/23: HB1154 does contain amended language including provisions for therapeutic use. I apologize for the confusion. Please attend our Zoom Orientation on Apr 2 at 730pm for up to date info and clarification!! -LC
Hello Friend! I’m Lauren, a group organizer for the Psychedelic Society of St Louis. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. I am passionate about getting people together. I believe there is a reasonable pathway to legalize psychedelics. This is not an official view of the group, merely my perspective.
Today the Missouri House of Representatives finalized language for a bill providing funding for clinical trials of psilocybin, HB 1154. Our friends from Grunt Style Foundation and lobbyist Eapen Thampy of Great State Strategies were there viewing the proceedings. I listened in on the State website. There was basically no opposition, only support. Members of the Veterans Affairs committee, and others, compelled their colleagues to vote for yes HB 1154, citing the known benefits of psilocybin. It is expected to pass the vote in the House.
HB 1154 is limited in scope, it only provides for clinical trials. It does not fully legalize therapeutic Psilocybin as did its predecessor HB 869. Our group members know about the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, and now so do some Missouri state legislators. The bipartisan support of this bill is very encouraging for future legislation. In my view, it does align with our group’s mission of de-stigmatizing psychedelics.
The next step is to visit our Missouri State Senators and make sure that they are well informed on this issue. Our job is to let them know that we want them to approve this bill. The date of Wednesday, April 5th has been tentatively chosen as a unified day of action for supporters of HB 1154. The Psychedelic Society of St Louis will be hosting an orientation Zoom call on Sunday, April 2 at 7.30pm. If you are interested in visiting the capitol with us on Wednesday, OR calling your senator, PLEASE JOIN THE CALL!!
Thank you for your continued interest and participation! We must work together to urge our representatives forward. I am looking forward to the First Thursday Meeting on April 6th and reporting my experience at the capitol.
Best Wishes,
Lauren Christians
Lauren.C@psychedelicSTL.org
P.S.
For more information about today’s proceedings, I recommend reading the articles linked below. I found the reporting from Marijuana Movement excellent and more thorough than my own notes.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/missouri-house-advances-therapeutic-psilocybin-legalization-and-research-bill/
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/29/missouri-house-backs-bill-requiring-state-research-on-psychedelics-to-treat-depression-ptsd/